Elizabeth: The Golden Age

As usual, the sets, costumes, acting, and cinematography were superb. And I mean superb. However, I did feel that the portrayal of the Spanish Inquisition was not harsh or gritty enough. There's a lot to go on, when it comes to 16C Spain and the Holy War but for this film, the religious struggle is not depicted as terribly threatening, unlike in the first Elizabeth film. One never feels very much danger, which is unusual given the subject at hand; the intrigue falls a little flat. It was definitely nice to see another, older, more human side of the Virgin Queen. Without giving anything away, she does struggle, but in ways more familiar to the average viewer than the problems she went through in the first film, 10 years ago. Altogether, I'd say that if you liked the first, you'll likely also appreciate the second... just expect to see a queen, a woman, who has somewhat changed with time, as we all do.